|
 In 1997, a circuit court judge in Alabama was thrust into the national spotlight for displaying the Ten Commandments on the wall of his courtroom. The nation quickly discovered that Judge Roy Moore—our 1997 Distinguished Christian Statesman—has a commitment to Christian statesmanship that could not be shaken.
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore is not your typical judge. He graduated from West Point and served five years in the Vietnam War before entering Law School at the University of Alabama. Prior to taking his first judicial appointment in 1992, he studied full-contact karate, won his first kick boxing match, and completed a five-month trek across the Outback of Australia. He also attended a poetry reading at church, where he met his wife, Kayla.
 No matter where he has been, Chief Justice Moore has never strayed far from his roots of family and faith established in Etowah County, Alabama. In this rural setting—growing up in what he called a “poor Christian home” and admiring a father who “lived what he believed”—Roy Moore learned to honor God, cherish family, and love his country.
Following law school, Chief Justice Moore served as deputy district attorney in Etowah County and later established his own private practice. In 1992, he was appointed Circuit Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit, Etowah County, where he gained notoriety for displaying a hand-carved plaque of the Ten Commandments. A storm of controversy settled on that circuit courtroom, vaulting then-Judge Moore to national prominence. Then in 2000, Moore was elected to serve as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
A devout Christian and father of four children, Chief Justice Moore is not surprised by the storm of controversy that has surrounded his public service. “When you do what you believe, you are going to run into problems,” he says. But now that Moore has been given the Chief Justice’s chair, it is clear that perseverance in the midst of problems has its rewards as well.
Back to Disginguished Christian Statesman Award Page
|
